NAWABSHAH, March 30 Communities living around the Pai Forest need alternative sources of livelihood so that pressure on natural resources can be minimized.

This was stated by Shaheed Benazir Abad DCO Khursheed Naeem Malik while speaking at a consultative workshop for endorsement of the livelihood plan for Pai Forest area here on Monday. The plan has been prepared by the Indus for All Programme of the WWF, Pakistan.

The DCO said that the forest had historical and environmental significance and a large population earned their livelihood directly and indirectly through forest resources.

He said that depletion of natural resources had increased poverty in the area and expressed the hope that the livelihood plan would bring workable solution of the problem.

Indus for All Programme coordinator Nasir Ali Panhwar said that the communities living around the forest mainly depended on agriculture and livestock but due to shortage of water, agricultural land was turning barren and with decreasing grazing pastures the number of livestock was decreasing.

He said that local families, which earlier had hundreds of goats, sheep, cows and buffaloes, now owned fewer cattle heads.